In 1978, Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said changed the discourse around the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region forever when he published his book ‘Orientalism’.
Category: Alternative Narrative
Orientalism: A distorted perception of “the other”
“Arabs, for example, are thought of as camel-riding, terroristic, hook-nosed, venal lechers whose undeserved wealth is an affront to real civilization.” – Edward Said Orientalism
At the East of West’s Ego
In 1978, the Palestinian-American professor and writer Edward Said published his work Orientalism, that sparked an everlasting debate on the topic. In his book, he
The confirmation bias
“What we see depends mainly on what we look for” – John Lubbock The confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias. It is the
Do biased affect our decision making process?
“One way or another we are all biased, but still we have the modern cortical capacity to choose whether or not to let the harmful
What is Cognitive Bias?
As humans, sometimes we think irrationally. The ways we act, we treat other people, we make decisions may be influenced by some peculiar processes that
How we judge people: fundamental attribution error in dept
What causes injustice and stereotypes? They can happen for countless factors, but what no one knows is that cognitive bias can be one of the
Non violent communication
“All violence is the result of people tricking themselves into believing that their pain derives from other people and that consequently those people deserve to
The art of living well
Every person pursues happiness in their life. But some people argue that happiness is just a fleeting feeling, and what we really want to pursue
Culture is to be lived and to be learned
Very often we hear about celebrities, TV shows or, in general, people in the public eye being called out for Cultural Appropriation. It happens when
Cultural Appropriation in Times of Rising Islamophobia in France
In January, Vogue France faced heavy criticism from Social Media users after posting a picture of model and actress Julia Fox to their Instagram feed.
Towards a Circular Water Sector
Water Scarcity Around the Globe: Reasons, Issues and Consequences Today, water scarcity – the limited access to much needed water – affects four billion people
What is media bias?
Over the past half decade, the legitimacy of the mainstream media has become a central theme of our political discourse. Some of this as of
What are the environmental challenges for Jordan?
The Middle East, like much of the world, is getting hotter, the already hot and dry climate is changing rapidly and it’s raining less. People
Appreciation or Appropriation?
Exploring the concept of cultural appropriation and its consequences “It’s about understanding the value and traditions of the symbols that are appropriated to ensure that
There is no Planet B
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”, Native American Proverb The picture above dates back to the
Social conformity versus freedom
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth”, John F. Kennedy Recent research in applied psychology have established that making people aware
An introduction to Social Conformity
Our social interactions shape us in ways that we cannot even imagine. As humans, it comes naturally relying on other people when we must express
A picture is worth a thousand words but means nothing with incorrect context
“A picture is worth a thousand words”, a clliché term, but one that holds weight. However, without words to explain who, what, why or when,
Conforming, Internalizing, Looking Away: Social Conformity and Its Effects
Social Conformity is a type of social influence that alters the belief or behavior of an individual in order to fit into a group. It
The Experiments of Social Conformity
In the early 1960s, Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram began what would become one of social psychology’s most famed and chilling experiments. Milgram began his
Johan Galtung’s work
“Peace appeals to the hearts; studies to the brain. Both are needed, indeed indispensable. But equally indispensable is a valid link between brain and heart.
Johan Galtung: healing the world from war
A peaceful world can often look like an impossible dream. Especially lately. We may feel overwhelmed, helpless, and powerless when we read news about what
Understanding Intersectionality
Exploring the word, its meaning, and its impact on the world. We live in an exceptional historical moment, characterised by so much violence, conflict, and social
Johan Galtung – The Father of Peace Studies
Johan Galtung born in Oslo on October 24, 1930, is a Norwegian sociologist and mathematician. In 1959 he founded the Oslo Peace Research Institute (PRIO)
The Father of Peace Studies
In 1930, an individual born in Oslo, Norway, would go on to lead the academic field of peace and conflict studies, writing over 160 books
Intersectionality
“Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects”, Kimberlè Crenshaw In recent years
Reality of social media
As the use of social networks increases, they generate a virtual reality. This means of communication, in turn, generates digital identities, giving rise to a
The Cost of War, Peace and Covid
Covid-19 has seen the world change. Countries were plunged into recessions, many people found themselves losing family breadwinners and business owners were left unable to
Are we losing our critical thinking skills?
Data from Backlingo shows that globally, the average time a person spends on social media a day is 2 hours 24 minutes. 4.48 billion people